The reason for this approach is because
every head of hair on every single man, woman and child
is unique just as their fingerprints are unlike any
other.

My own hair has been
long, by all standards, for a good percentage of my life.
In the late 1980s I became serious about the care and
feeding of my hair and have maintained a very healthy
length of 5-6" below my waist since 1997.

Although I have my
own personal long hair tips that work for me, I have
included the most popular tips available which I have
discovered after years of research and talking to other
long hair professionals and fans.

Try the tips on for size
and then select the tips that you find work best for
your hair, budget, lifestyle and commitment levels.
Yes, it takes a certain level of commitment to have long
lush locks.

Knowledge is ultimately power. What you may think
is good for your hair may be inadvertently damaging it.

By properly caring for your hair and following proven
long hair techniques you too can have long, beautiful and
healthy strands.

The Long Hair Tool Kit

1. Make a serious commitment to having healthy
lush strands. Although your commitment can span
the range from total to minimal, long hair requires
focus, concentration and the willingness to nurture it.

Make sure you keep all the damaged ends completely
trimmed off. You can't grow healthy long locks on
top of split, ripped or damaged strands. Eat right
and take
vitamins to nuture your long strands.

2. Invest in the very best hair care products and
tools that you can afford. If you can't afford a
Mason Pearson or
Kent go with a
Conair look-a-like in a
decent quality faux boar's bristle.

Improper use of hair tools combined with incorrect
detangling, brushing and combing techniques can cause
long term damage to delicate long tresses.

Note: Use a great pre-treatment oil such as
jojoba or HairTopia Beautiful Hair Oil (BHO - my own
private formula) which is chock full of long hair
healthy essential oils and secret flower essence
ingredients in a pure jojoba base.

4. When possible it is best to cleanse long hair
in the shower rather than in the bathtub (where hair can
absorb soap & other water scum) or a sink where hair can
become more easily tangled in the drain.

5. Always cleanse with lukewarm NOT hot water.

One option is to use clean plastic bottles (empty Evian
or similar bottles) pre-filled with lukewarm water.
Douse dry hair completely with lukewarm water before
applying shampoo formula.

Long hair experts have discovered that it is best to
start with lots of water and some shower heads may not
get strands wet enough before applying shampoo formulas
which can dry out delicate long tresses.

Note: If you adore hot showers or baths,
wrap dry strands in a thick terry cloth style turban to
keep steam and heat out while you enjoy your hot soak.

6. Consider extending cleansing/shampoo periods so
that hair is only washed only once or twice a week.

7. Experiment with alternate cleansing formulas
such as:

Conditioner/Shampoo/Conditioner Formula (CSC)

Diluted Shampoo/Conditioner Formulas (DS/C)

Conditioner Only Wash (COW)

Water Only Cleanse/Leave-in Conditioner (WO/C)

8. Never apply shampoo, diluted shampoo or
conditioners directly to the hair or the scalp.

Either apply shampoo to the palms of the hands and mix
with water before drizzling onto wet scalp and strands
or pour diluted formulations over the top of the head
and as the suds flow down the ends, pat carefully into
the tresses.

9. Massage scalp with the pads of your fingertips.
Avoid scratching scalp which can cause long range
problems.

10. Always work any lather or suds down the length
of the strands as gently as possible.

As an example, during hot summer months hair may need
more moisture while in the Fall hair may need less
moisture. Let your hair and how it behaves be your
ultimate guide.

15. When possible, buy trial sizes of hair care
products to experiment with on your own tresses.
Always remember that what works on some hair types,
textures and conditions will not necessarily work on
others.

Consider the
plastic bottle trick to make sure hair is dowsed well.
Hair experts report that dry tresses and scalps are
often the result of hair that has not been properly
rinsed.

17. Always finish with a cool/cold water rinse to
close the cuticle and help add natural shine.

To avoid blasting your body with a freezing spray, fill
the handy clean plastic container with cool/cold water
and then lean over at a 45 degree angle and pour hair
from roots to ends. This prevents water from
making contact with your body.

I have read sarcastic comments regarding this
suggestion. I personally have done it for years
with great results. However, it may not work for
all. Remember, choose the tips that work best for
you.

Long Hair Out Of The Shower

1. Before stepping out of the shower, use fingers
to gently squeeze excess water from the ends.

2. Gently blot wet hair in an absorbent towel or special
wrap for removing excess water.

3. Hair is most fragile when wet. Never ever
brush wet hair to prevent breakage.

4. Detangle hair properly by starting at the very
ends and slowly and carefully working up the hair shaft
to remove tangles. When possible use either your
fingers (finger picking/raking) or a wide tooth comb or
pick.

10. Never use electric fans, air-conditioner
blowers or hand blowers to dry hair.

The air that
is emitted from these types of blowers have moisture robbing properties that can make
strands more prone to breakage.

11. If you must blow dry, select a high quality
dryer that offers
different speeds and heats to control the potential
damage to your strands. At the very least, buy one
with a
cold shot button to seal your style and close
cuticles.

You will be amazed at how much difference it will make
for your hair is you combine air drying with just a
little blow drying or if you blow dry on the slowest and
coolest heat settings.

13. Make sure that your blow dryer offers a
cold
shot or cool temperature setting. Remember
that hot air makes hair expanding and cool/cold air will
set the style. Use cool air setting as much as
possible.

14.
Blow dry hair upside down (bend over at the
waist) to protect delicate top hair.

15. Keep hair away from the nozzle and the ends of
the
dryer or else long strands can get inadvertently
sucked in and tangled.

If hair does get tangled in the dryer, turn it
immediately off and use a long tailed comb to slowly
unwind from the inside of the blow dryer.

16. Avoid directing air flow from
blow dryer on
any one section of your hair for more than 2-3 minutes
at a time. Keep blow drying constantly moving to
avoid direct heat blast.

Hair sticks made from
smoother materials such as hand made cellulose (faux
Tortoise Shell) or carefully prepared woods, metals
and plastic materials. Some of the finest hair
sticks in the world are
Mei Fa hair sticks which are
100% hand made in the USA.

If you prefer
automatic style barrettes but worry about delicate
hairs getting caught, paint over the top of the
metal hinge enclosure with clear nail polish which
protect from hair snagging. Use several coats
of polish allowing each coat to completely dry
before adding more.

Hair clips known as
banana clips, Concorde clips, dolphin or other clips
made of either smooth metals, cellulose or plastic.

Always inspect new
hair toys or accessories for rough edges before
applying to your hair. Use a finger file to
gently file off any rough edges or spots.

11. Braids of all
kinds are ideal for longer tresses. Buy a loose
string mop to practice braiding strands. Or invest
in one of the hot new clip-in ponytails or add-on
HairDo
hair pieces and practice braiding on friends and family
members.

12. Learn the basic
braid patterns including the 3 strands Dutch and English
braids as well as the traditional French Braid.

13. Use styling
products to enhance natural waves and curls. Apply
Ken Paves Mousse to damp hair before bed time.
Wrap hair into top knot or other hair twist. Let
hair air-dry overnight. Undo twist the next
morning for lush waves and curls.

14. Avoid using
products with heavy alcohol content which can dry out
hair.

15. Experiment with
old fashioned pin curl sets.

Your Hair Is What You Eat & Drink

1. Just as the coat on an animal acts as an
overall health barometer, hair determines the body's
general state of wellness. What you ultimately eat
and drink will help or hurt your hair.

2. A balanced diet that incorporates all the major
food groups is best for producing balanced hair.

Long Hair & The Elements

1. Although the wind through your long locks may
look and feel sensuous, the wind can be whipping your
hair into a frenzy of split ends and tangles.
Always pull hair up and secure when riding in an open
air car or hanging out in a windy area.

2. The sun can burn your scalp as well as dry out
precious long strands. Always protect with proper
sun screen applied to scalp.

3. When possible wear a hat while out in the sun.
At the very least apply sun screen to your scalp and
apply a leave-in oil such as Beautiful Hair Oil from
your ends down to the ends to nourish and block out
damaging sun rays.

Long Hair Trimming & Detangling Secrets

If you don't have a long hair friendly hairdresser or one that
you totally trust consider taking the following actions:

1. Trim your own hair if you can't find a
hairdresser.

2. If you trim your own tresses, invest in a good
professional set of cutting scissors. Never use
paper scissors which can cause hair to split further.

3. Remember that more frequent trims are better for the hair than less
frequent ones.

4. If you can't trim your own tresses, ask for
help from family members, friends or other long hair
buddies.

5. Never trust the trimming of your ends to
someone who has encouraged your to cut your hair.

6. Schedule your end trimming when you are most
relaxed. Never rush. Some long hair experts
refer to end trimming as enjoyable.

7. If you prefer, only trim the ends that are
actually split.

8. Experiment with applying a tiny bit of
leave-in
conditioner or gel on the ends before trimming to help
keep hair in place.

Never agree to let your hair be trimmed unless you are
sure the hairdresser will honor how much you wish to
have trimmed.

Long Hair Detangling Secrets

How you detangle your long hair is extremely
important.

1. Detangle hair properly by starting at the very
ends and slowly and carefully working up the hair shaft
to remove tangles. When possible use either your
fingers (finger picking/raking) or a wide tooth comb or
pick.

Long Hair Books, Videos & CDs

1. Research all the fabulous long hair focused
books, videos, DVDs and CDs on the market. A good
starting point is always on Amazon.com or similar
on-line book markets that offer a comprehensive view of
the potential offerins.

The fabulous
Patrick Cameron was a pioneer in the long hair care and
styling market.
He is highly respected by hair
care professionals and consumers.

Patrick has produced some amazing books and CDs that
offer a look at high fashion hairstyling for long and
extra long locks. When possible check out
Patrick's work for inspiration.

2. Braiding is considered a classic hairstyle for
long and ultra long hair. There are many different
types of braid styles available for long hair.

Look for the following classic long hair related
braiding books which may or may not still be in print.
Sometimes out of print books may be located with the
help of a bookstore that specializes in finding
out-of-print books and related items?

All New Beautiful
Braids by Mary Beth Janssen-Fleischman.

Beautiful Braids by
Patricia Coen & Joe Maxwell

Beautiful Braids by
Mary Beth Janssen-Fleischman

Beautiful Braids by
James Takos with Karin Strom

Braids and More by
Andrea Jeffery

Braids and Styles For
Long Hair by Andrea Jeffery and Vickie Terner

More Beautiful Braids
by Patricia Coen & Joe Maxwell

Twists and Braids
Made Easy by Mary Beth Jannssen-Fleishman

Great Braids by
Thomas Hardy

Hair - A Book Of
Braiding & Styles by Anne Akers Johnson

Salonovations' Braids
& Updos Made Easy by Jamie Rines Jone

All Patrick Cameron
CDs

Long Hair Day To Day Tips

1. Pin your hair up when you are going to be
anywhere near fire.
2. Braid your hair if you are around a baby or
small child who loves to pull hair.
3. Tuck your hair down the back of your clothes if
you temporarily need to keep it out of the way.
4. Prevent unnecessary tangles if you're wearing a
shirt or dress that buttons up the back or can easily
cause snags.
5. Wear your hair inside a cute hair when it's
windy outside.

If people ask if
you will ever cut your hair, either ignore them or
simply say you love your long hair. Then walk
away. There's little chance you will change
anyone's mind about your opinion.

You
may prefer to think about questions in advance with
answers you feel comfortable providing.

Bottom line, the best policy is to smile and ignore
people that wish to be rude or obnoxious about your own
personal desires regarding how you wear your hair.

Summary

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